Description

Tobacco use is a significant cause of ill health and mortality in the population. In Ireland smoking kills up to 6,500 people annually and exacerbates health inequalities. The problem of tobacco use has been acknowledged by government at a policy level as evidenced by: · the implementation of recommendations from Building Healthier Hearts, · the development by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children of ”A National Anti-Smoking Strategy- A Report on Health and Smoking”, · their adoption of “Towards a Tobacco Free Society” as a policy document, · the passing of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002, 2004 and 2009 and the enactment of various sections of these acts, and · their ratification of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The Health Service Executive (HSE), which provides services that improve, promote and protect the health and welfare of the public, is deeply concerned about the harmful effects of tobacco use on the population. In its Corporate Plan (2008-2010) it recognises the need for a shift towards prevention and better self care rather than a focus on acute care and treatment. This will require strong illness prevention initiatives, health promotion and population health strategies. To underscore its commitment in this area, smoking prevalence is identified as a key performance indicator in achieving its corporate priorities. Under its Transformation Programme the HSE is committed to tackling the problem of tobacco related harm within the population as a whole and in particular in vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents and those at the margins of society. The HSE has developed this Tobacco Control Framework to provide an evidence based approach to address tobacco and to outline national standards for service provision.